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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sirens & Gavels archive for Oct. 6, 2011

THURSDAY, OCT. 6, 2011

Cops: Murder suspect had victim's purse

A sex offender accused of killing a 48-year-old Spokane woman had the victim's purse in his apartment when detectives searched it after his arrest in a separate rape case, according to newly filed court documents. Police identified Derrick Ross Vargas, 24, as a suspect after…

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Report: Murder suspect declined meds

A triple-murder suspect from Montana who was arrested in Spokane Valley will be returned to the Big Sky state as soon as possible to face federal charges, a fedearl judge ruled today. Sheldon Bernard Chase, 22, faces a mandatory term of life in prison if…

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Spokane Valley property crimes detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify a thief who stole cash, jewelry and computer components from a home in the 4800 block North Bannen on Sept. 23rd. 

    On that date, the 60-year-old resident arrived home for lunch and discovered the back door kicked in and items missing from the home.  Officers Jim Ebel and Ryan Smith checked the home, but found no one inside and nothing to identify the suspect. 

    A short time after the two officers left, the victim received a call from an employee at Mega Wash Express, 17316 E Sprague.  The employee advised that he had seen a man dumping items into the business dumpster, and that he had fled in a dark Ford pickup when confronted. 

    The dumped items turned out to be the resident’s driver’s license, social security card and other pieces of his identification.  The employee captured the suspect and his truck on security cameras and offered still photos to police.   

    Officer Ebel went to Mega Wash and collected the photos which appear to feature a dark blue or black early-90’s Ford truck that pulls around behind the business about 9:40 a.m.  The truck has an extended cab, a long bed and is slightly lifted above a stock truck’s height. 

    The top of the bed rails are capped with chrome, as is the rear window.  It appears to have chrome wheels and mirrors, and an oversize chrome rear bumper with extended trailer hitch. 

    The white male driver has a large tattoo of some kind on his left shoulder. 

    Anyone with information regarding the truck or its driver is encouraged to call Crime Check at (509) 456-2233.  (Spokane Valley Police Department)

Tips sought on truck-driving burglar

Here's a news release from Sgt. Dave Reagan: Spokane Valley property crimes detectives are seeking the public’s help to identify a thief who stole cash, jewelry and computer components from a home in the 4800 block North Bannen on Sept. 23rd. On that date, the…

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Police: 5% of property crimes investigated

If you’re a victim of a burglary, theft or car prowling in Spokane, don’t expect to get the crime solved. The Spokane Police Department announced Wednesday the official elimination of the property crimes unit and said citizens should expect only 5 percent of reported property…

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California Highway Patrol Officer Duane Nokes takes David Joseph Pedersen into custody following a traffic stop on Marysville Road and Gettys Court near Yuba City, Calif. on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. Pedersen and his girlfriend Holly Ann Grigsby are wanted for a murder in Washington state and the disappearance of a teenager in Oregon. (AP Photo/Appeal Democrat, David Bitton) ((AP Photo/Appeal Democrat, David Bitton))

Racist in murder spree has Idaho ties

California Highway Patrol Officer Duane Nokes takes David Joseph Pedersen into custody following a traffic stop on Marysville Road and Gettys Court near Yuba City, Calif. on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Appeal Democrat, David Bitton) A white supremacist suspected of murdering two people in Washington and Oregon…

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Worker Jeffrey Reeder helps install a high-density mobile shelving system in the City of Spokane's new evidence storage facility at 4010 E. Alki Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011. The Spokane Police Department announced today that citizens should expect only 5 percent of property crimes to be investigated because of budget cuts.  (Colin Mulvany / The Spokesman-Review)

New police evidence facility opens

Worker Jeffrey Reeder helps install a high-density mobile shelving system in the City of Spokane's new evidence storage facility aWednesday. (SRphoto/Colin Mulvany) Spokane-area law enforcement welcomed the opening of a new evidence storage facility Wednesday. The 66,000-square foot facility at 4010 E. Alki Ave. has…

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Law enforcement officers remove a shooting victim's body from a home about nine miles south west of Lodge Grass Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 near Montana's Crow Reservation. A shooting left three people dead at a rural residence on Montana's Crow Reservation and a manhunt was under way Tuesday for an armed suspect, prompting a lockdown of schools, a hospital and other public buildings, authorities said. Authorities were searching for 22-year-old Sheldon Bernard Chase, who has a history of mental illness and is considered armed and extremely dangerous, said Eric Barnhart, FBI supervisor in Billings. (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, James Woodcock) ( (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, James Woodcock))

Mont. murder suspect arrested in Valley

Law enforcement officers remove a shooting victim's body from a home about nine miles south west of Lodge Grass Tuesday near Montana's Crow Reservation. (AP Photo/The Billings Gazette, James Woodcock) A 22-year-old man accused of killing three people in Montana was arrested Wednesday near the…

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Feds ask to keep Zehm trial in Spokane

A federal prosecutor has asked a judge to reconsider his Tuesday decision to move the upcoming criminal trial of Spokane police Officer Karl F. Thompson Jr. to Yakima. But defense attorneys support the move. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Durkin filed a motion outlining the difficulties…

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